Picture Perfect (or, A perfect time spent not taking pictures)

There’s something relaxing about not taking any photographs when you go some place new. During this past year, I’ve basically had my camera attached to my hand at all times – seriously, the only way it could have been more attached would have required surgery. When I was Kenya, it was with me everywhere and the sisters were happy to know they had an amateur photographer ready at any moment. In Geneva the camera made fewer appearances while we were at the UN, but was always nearby any other time.

In Bellflower, and now in Corralitos, that hasn’t been the case. First of all because I did not have permission of the parents to take photos of their kids at school and there was no way I was going to take photos that could be used to identify their kids without express permission and some kind of form being signed. But also because, well, it’s nice not having to worry about taking pictures.

When I’m worried about taking pictures, there is a constant pressure to be looking for the right moment or the right place. You want to frame the picture nicely, capture it in such a way that your audience, whoever that may be, focuses on what you want them to focus on. You want to make sure the lighting is okay, or at least good enough that some judicious editing will fix it up later without 500% exposure. Your eyes are constantly scanning because what if you miss the perfect moment? What if something awesome happens and you can’t immortalize it forever??

Now this is maybe a bit of an extreme example. I know I’m not always like this when I taking pictures. Plus, with the magic of digital sim cards, I can take hundreds of absolutely garbage photos and still pull out the few pictures that make me look like I know what the heck I’m doing. But still, there’s a part of me that isn’t actually present in the moment when I’m operating in ‘photographer-mode.’

It was an accident of circumstance that led to me not taking photos in Bellflower, but I actually found it relaxing in a way. I was able to focus on the people I was with, not the frame they were in. Each moment was beautiful because it was a moment with others, not because it was captured perfectly on camera. In a world of social media, we find it difficult not to share photos on Facebook or Instagram or what have you, but getting away from that pressure to please others allows me to please myself. And I think that is more important.

I’ll probably end up with more photos eventually since camp will be starting up soon. If nothing else, I’m sure parents of campers would love to get a free picture of their kid at camp, doing camp-like stuff, so I might be tapped for that. But I’m glad that I’ve been mostly picture-free for these last few months so that I could enjoy each moment and person for what and who they are.

Until next time!